Passive reflector for a mobile communication device

ABSTRACT

Reflector that when associated to a portable telephone allows concentrating a maximum amount of radiation, providing a directional radiation source allowing an increased signal gain, greater coverage, reduced radiation on the face of the circuit attached to the telephone and a lower incidence on the human body. The reflector is attached on the casing on the portable telephone, constructed on a fibreglass plate and comprises two faces on which are arranged a number of tracks such that the radiation between the reflector and the portable telephone antenna is adjusted. The support is conformed by the reflector itself, to which are adhered two double strips, one for attachment to the telephone and another for attachment to an ornamental strip that is provided on its outer face with an attachment area and an available area.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a passive signal-capturingreflector that when installed on the casing of mobile telephones or thelike improves both the transmission and reception of the signals, aswell as the support on which this reflector can be incorporated, whichis adhered to the mobile telephone.

The present invention of a passive reflector is characterised in thatwhen installed on a mobile telephone or the like it allows obtaining thegreatest possible gain on the required bandwidth.

The present invention is also characterised by allowing an exceptionalgain on a large bandwidth, allowing communication from locations wheresignal limitations prevent a good coverage, or from moving vehicles indifficult conditions.

Also the object of the present invention is the support on which thepassive reflector comprised of a number of adhesive layers andattachment means using Velcro or the like.

Thus, the present invention lies in the field of mobile telephony andmore specifically in the field of antennae for mobile telephones.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, the frequency bands used for GSM telephone transmission inEurope and America are the following:

-   -   900 MHz band (GSM 900 Europe). Encompasses from 880 MHz to 960        MHz, so that the bandwidth from 880 MHz to 914 MHz is used for        transmission by the mobile station and the band from 925 MHz to        960 MHz is used for transmission by the base station.    -   1800 MHz band (GSM 1800 Europe). Encompasses from 1710 MHz to        1880 MHz, so that the bandwidth from 1710 MHz to 1785. MHz is        used for transmission by the mobile station and the band from        1805 MHz to 1880 MHz is used for transmission by the base        station.    -   1900 MHz band (GSM 1900 USA). Encompasses from 1850 MHz to 2005        MHz, so that the bandwidth from 1850 MHz to 1910 MHz is used for        transmission by the mobile station and the band from 1945 MHz to        2005 MHz is used for transmission by the base station.

In addition, the two main design characteristics for any portabletelephone antenna are that it must be mounted within the casing of theportable telephone and that during its operation the set will be handledby a user, who will point it in any direction. As the antenna is placedvery near the casing, the antenna current is induced not only in theantenna but also in the conducting part of the casing, so that theoriginal radiation pattern is changed. It is also the case that theefficiency of transmission degrades with the proximity of the humanbody, as the antenna is affected by the movements of the body. Thesedesign requirements are further complicated by having to manufacture thesets as small as possible. It is well known that the efficiency ofradiation and bandwidth are degraded with a decreasing antenna size. Ontop of all of these requirements, considerations such as bandwidthsecurity and diversity of reception must be considered.

Various solutions have been adopted to improve the gain of transmissionsaffected by the casing, the human body or the location. One of these isdescribed in EP patent 661824, which describes a folding portabletelephone in which the antenna is placed in the part that is rotatedoutwards, so that during transmission it is separated as much aspossible from the user's ear in order to reduce as much as possible thegain resulting from the proximity of the human body.

Another solution is that proposed in U.S. patent 2002013159, whichdescribes a folding portable telephone in which the antenna is on thefixed part, so that when the folding part is brought to the user's earthe antenna is separated by a certain angle from the user's head,reducing the loss of gain of the signal due to the proximity of thebody.

All of these solutions have in common that they seek to reduce theeffect on the transmission gain on the proximity of the human body, yetdo not mention improving the signal when it is weak or in a multiroutetransmission environment.

Thus, the object of this invention is to improve as much as possible theeffective gain in the desired frequency range, allowing to reduce thesize and weight of portable telephones while increasing the operationtime, allowing using said telephones in areas of low signal intensityand allowing to reduce the transmission power, which allows reducing thebattery and thus the weight of the portable telephone, or extending theoperation time of the battery.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention of a passive signal-capturing reflector consists of acapturer with an exceptional gain in a large bandwidth, allowingmultiroute communication or communication from vehicles in difficultsituations or where coverage is poor: It provides a directionalradiation beam towards the antenna of the portable telephone, allowingto concentrate as much radiation as possible and thereby increasing thegain.

This reflector allows improving the coverage, improving the gain, aneasier operation of the set by the user as it can be pointed in anydirection, and also allows reducing the radiation on the face adjoiningthe portable telephone and thus its incidence on the human body.

The reflector is disposed attached to the rear part of the portabletelephone casing and does not require any additional installation. Itprovides a directional radiation beam on the antenna, increasing thetotal gain.

Said reflector is constructed on a gold-plated fibreglass plateprotected by a thin insulating film, forming an impact-resistant andweather-resistant assembly.

The design of said reflector allows adjusting its impedance and that ofthe telephone antenna, and comprises a careful track design with theaccurate measurements of a percentage of the wavelength at the workingfrequency.

The distance between the reflector and the telephone wavelength is 0.15λ. This distance between the elements is what gives the capturer anoptimal gain, as otherwise the fields would interact with each other,reducing the gain.

The reflector comprises two faces with similar configurations. One ofthe faces is directly attached to the telephone, while the other is lefton the outside. Visible on each face are:

-   -   A small triangle used to adjust the reflector with the dipole,        which is the telephone antenna.    -   Two U-shaped tracks in which each wing measures ¼ of the working        frequency wavelength, and the minimum distance between lines is        ⅛ of the wavelength.    -   An assembly of 10 coils intended for a vertical collinear        adaptation. The length of the coils is adjusted in thickness to        obtain a minimum SWR in the final result.    -   A C-shaped track allowing which by changing its thickness allows        approximating a multiple of the wavelength.

In addition to this assembly it is possible to dispose on the exposedface of the passive reflector Alga-as type luminescent diodes thatilluminate with a very low current. These diodes are connected by ametallic drill to the coil of the face attached to the telephone. One ofthe diodes acts as a rectifier to convert the induced alternatingcurrent into direct current, thereby ionising the gas in the other twodiodes.

In addition, the passive signal-capturing reflector is disposed inside asupport or assembly consisting of two adhesive layers, one for each faceof the passive reflector, the one adjoining the portable telephone beingcovered by a protective plastic sheet that is removed at the time of useto adhere it to the portable telephone. One of the faces of the otheradhesive layer is attached to the passive signal-capturing reflector,while on the other side it is adhered to a thicker vinyl layer that onone of its halves externally incorporates a Velcro, while the rest of itis left free to incorporate an anagram or any text, such as the user'snumber.

Another possibility is using the above-described support in combinationwith a simple structural support complementary of the previous one,which lacks any reflector, having only one double adhesive layer, one ofthe faces of the single adhesive layer being glued to the support onwhich the portable telephone is to be supported, while on its other faceit is attached to the layer or to the complementary Velcro of the Velcroplaced on the support adhered to the portable telephone.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As a complement of the description that follows and in order to aid abetter understanding of the characteristics of the invention, thepresent descriptive memory is accompanied by a set of drawings whosefigures, for purposes of illustration and in a non-limiting sense, showsthe more representative details of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a portable telephone from the rear,showing the passive reflector attached to the telephone.

FIG. 2 shows the design of the tracks on the face attached to thetelephone.

FIG. 3 shows the design of the tracks on the face on the outside.

FIG. 4 shows the passive reflector on the face attached to thetelephone, with luminescent diodes connected to it.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a front elevation and sectional view of the supportwith the passive signal-capturing reflector.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the wall support of the portabletelephone to any furniture item, partially sectioned in order to showthe Velcro covered in resin.

FIG. 8 shows the wall support applied to a personal computer.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the aforementioned figures, a description is made of apreferred embodiment of the invention, as well as an explanation of thedrawings.

FIG. 1 shows a portable telephone (2) on which is disposed a passivereflector (1). The purpose of the reflector is to increase thetransmission gain for both reception and emission, thereby facilitatingmultiroute communication in difficult situations or where coverage ispoor, as well as preventing the interference caused by the proximity ofthe human body. Said passive reflector (1) improves the signaltransmitted by the antenna (3) of the portable telephone (2), therebysaving transmission power and allowing to reduce the size of thebatteries and thus the weight of the devices or to extend theiroperation time.

FIGS. 2 and 3 shows the face that is attached to the telephone casingand the face on the outside, respectively. A number of tracks aredisposed on them carefully designed such that the impedances between thereflector and the telephone antenna are adjusted.

In each of the faces one can see:

-   -   A small triangle (4) used to adjust the reflector with the        dipole, which is the telephone antenna.    -   Two U-shaped tracks (5) in which each wing measures ¹¹⁴ of the        working frequency wavelength, and the minimum distance between        lines is ⅛ of the wavelength.    -   An assembly of 10 coils (6) intended for a vertical collinear        adaptation. The length of the coils is adjusted in thickness to        obtain a minimum SWR in the final result.    -   A C-shaped track (7) allowing which by changing its thickness        allows approximating a multiple of the wavelength.

FIG. 4 shows the rear face of the passive reflector that is attached tothe telephone, on which are connected diodes (8) and (9), which aredisposed on the outer side of the passive reflector (1) and areconnected to the coils (6) with a metallic drill (10).

The diodes (9) are Alga-as diodes that illuminate with a very lowcurrent. The diode (8) is a rectifier diode that converts thealternating current induced in the coils into a direct current, ionisingthe gas contained in the diodes (9), which thus light up when thepassive reflector is operating correctly.

The purpose of the diodes disposed in the passive reflector (1) is:

-   -   To indicate that the passive reflector is performing its        function of amplifying the signal emitted and received    -   To verify that it is properly installed in the telephone    -   And to convert part of the radiation into light, so that the        user is exposed to less radiation.

The reflector is constructed on a gold-plated fibreglass plate protectedby a thin insulating film, providing an assembly with a suitableresistance.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a support that as well as allowing housing inside itthe passive signal-capturing reflector (11) allows attaching it to theportable telephone on one side and to any support with complementarymeans of those provided in the support (17).

The support assembly consists of the reflector (11), with correspondingdouble adhesive layers (12) on either side of it, the layer that isattached to the portable telephone being covered by a protective layer(13) that is removed when adhering the layer. The other adhesive strip(12) is joined on one side to the reflector (11) and on the other sideto a thicker strip (14) made of vinyl, metal, noble wood or any otherplastic or natural material, incorporating on part of its outer face aVelcro strip (15), while on the rest of this face it has a square (16)used to support any anagram or information.

FIG. 7 shows another possible embodiment of the support assembly, whichdoes not contain the reflector (11) inside it and in which the thickstrip (14) is replaced by a Velcro strip (20) receiving a resin (21) inthe area of the square (16), the rest of the face being uncovered forattachment purposes.

FIG. 8 shows the portable telephone on which is attached the support(17), inside which is the passive reflector (11), provided on a supportpanel (19) with another support, complementary to the previous one,which allows attaching the portable telephone together with the support(17). This antagonistic support is not provided with a reflector (11)inside it, it has a single adhesive layer used to attach the support tothe panel (19), while on its other face it is attached to the thicklayer (14) on which are disposed the attachment means complementary tothe Velcro strip (15).

It is not considered necessary to extend this description for an expertin the field to understand the scope of the invention and the advantagesderived thereof.

The materials, shape, size and arrangement of the component elements mayvary as long as the essence of the invention is not altered.

The terms used in this descriptive memory shall be understood in a wideand non-limiting sense.

1. Passive signal-capturing reflector characterised in that assembled onportable telephones it provides and increased signal gain, greatercoverage, reduced radiation on the face of the circuit attached to thetelephone and a lower incidence on the human body, compared to thesignals received by the antennae available on portable telephones, as itprovided a directional radiation source and allows concentrating theradiation, in which the impedances of the reflector and the portabletelephone antenna have been adjusted.
 2. Passive signal-capturingreflector, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that it is assembledon a gold-plated fibreglass plate and protected by a thin insulatingfilm.
 3. Passive signal-capturing reflector, as claimed in claim 2,characterised in that distance between the reflector and the antenna ofthe portable by a thin insulating film.
 4. Passive signal-capturingreflector, as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the reflectorhas two faces, one adjoining the telephone and the other external to it,each face having a number of tracks, where the following parts can beidentified in each face: A small triangle used to adjust the reflectorwith the dipole, which is the telephone antenna. Two U-shaped tracks inwhich each wing measures ¼ of the working frequency wavelength, and theminimum distance between line is ⅛ of the wavelength. An assembly of 10coils intended for a vertical collinear adaptation. The length of thecoils is adjusted in thickness to obtain a minimum SWR in the finalresult. A FC-shaped track allowing which by changing its thicknessallows approximating a multiple of wavelength.
 5. Passivesignal-capturing reflector, as claimed in claim 4, characterised in thatconnected to the coils (6) of the rear face of the passive reflector anddisposed on the external face are the diodes (8) and (9), connected tosaid coils by metallic drills (10), where the diode (8) is a diode thatrectifies the alternating current into a direct current and the diodes(9) are luminescent diodes with an Alga-as type internal gas.
 6. Passivesignal-capturing reflector, as claimed in claim 4, characterised in thateach U-shaped wing of the tracks measures ¼ of a wavelength at theworking frequency, with the minimum distance between lines of ⅛. 7.Support on which is incorporated the passive signal-capturing reflectorof claim 1, characterised in that inside this support is the passivesignal-capturing reflector, and on either sides of it correspondingdouble adhesive layers, the one being adhered to the portable telephonehaving a protective plastic sheet that is removed when adhering it tothe portable telephone, while the other layer is adhered to a thickerstrip, made of vinyl, wood, metal, plastic material, etc., provided onits outside with an outer face incorporation on part of it a Velcrostrip, while the rest of it has a square area.
 8. Support on which isincorporated the passive signal-capturing reflector of claim 7,characterized in that it can be attached on a complementary support thatis provided with a single adhesive layer, attached to the panel wherethe portable telephone is to be placed, as well as attachment meanscomplementary to those provided on the support adhered to the portabletelephone.
 9. Support on which is incorporated that passivesignal-capturing reflector of claim 7, characterized in that thickerstrip is replaced by a Velcro that receives resin in its entire surface,except in one area that is left exposed.
 10. Support on which isincorporated the passive signal-capturing reflector of claim 2,characterised in that inside this support is the passivesignal-capturing reflector, and on either sides of it correspondingdouble adhesive layers, the one being adhered to the portable telephonehaving a protective plastic sheet that is removed when adhering it tothe portable telephone, while the other layer is adhered to a thickerstrip, made of vinyl, wood, metal, plastic material, etc., provided onits outside with an outer face incorporation on part of it a Velcrostrip, while the rest of it has a square area.
 11. Support on which isincorporated the passive signal-capturing reflector of claim 3,characterised in that inside this support is the passivesignal-capturing reflector, and on either sides of it correspondingdouble adhesive layers, the one being adhered to the portable telephonehaving a protective plastic sheet that is removed when adhering it tothe portable telephone, while the other layer is adhered to a thickerstrip, made of vinyl, wood, metal, plastic material, etc., provided onits outside with an outer face incorporation on part of it a Velcrostrip, while the rest of it has a square area.
 12. Support on which isincorporated the passive signal-capturing reflector of claim 4,characterised in that inside this support is the passivesignal-capturing reflector, and on either sides of it correspondingdouble adhesive layers, the one being adhered to the portable telephonehaving a protective plastic sheet that is removed when adhering it tothe portable telephone, while the other layer is adhered to a thickerstrip, made of vinyl, wood, metal, plastic material, etc., provided onits outside with an outer face incorporation on part of it a Velcrostrip, while the rest of it has a square area.
 13. Support on which isincorporated the passive signal-capturing reflector of claim 5,characterised in that inside this support is the passivesignal-capturing reflector, and on either sides of it correspondingdouble adhesive layers, the one being adhered to the portable telephonehaving a protective plastic sheet that is removed when adhering it tothe portable telephone, while the other layer is adhered to a thickerstrip, made of vinyl, wood, metal, plastic material, etc., provided onits outside with an outer face incorporation on part of it a Velcrostrip, while the rest of it has a square area.
 14. Support on which isincorporated the passive signal-capturing reflector of claim 6,characterised in that inside this support is the passivesignal-capturing reflector, and on either sides of it correspondingdouble adhesive layers, the one being adhered to the portable telephonehaving a protective plastic sheet that is removed when adhering it tothe portable telephone, while the other layer is adhered to a thickerstrip, made of vinyl, wood, metal, plastic material, etc., provided onits outside with an outer face incorporation on part of it a Velcrostrip, while the rest of it has a square area.